


Never Lonely Again

by TommysIdiosyncrasy



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, Gender-Neutral Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Human Disaster Eddie Brock, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Original Character(s), Possessive Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Suicide Attempt, Venom is a forest basically, forest god au, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:09:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29782827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TommysIdiosyncrasy/pseuds/TommysIdiosyncrasy
Summary: Sitting up, Eddie cast his gaze past the old mill and stared into the tall oaks standing against the skyline. Everyone who came here knew the stories about these woods. More often than not, people that went in didn’t come out. Some people claimed bears while others whispered about a thing that lurked in its shadows.Or the one where Eddie majorly fucks up, runs away from his problems, and gets a giant alien boyfriend.
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Anne Weying (Past), Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Forest](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16717291) by [Strozzzi (butmicoooool)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/butmicoooool/pseuds/Strozzzi). 



> im like a few years late but i wanted to add more works to the small “venom is a forest” alternate universe.

When Eddie’s life fell apart, the first thing he had wanted was to get away. Staring after Anne’s back as she stomped away, box of her things in hand and heels clicking along the sidewalk, he had gotten back onto his motorcycle and taken off. Without a destination or plan, Eddie had simply sped off into traffic and lost himself between the purr of his bike and the road stretching ahead of him.

As cowardly as it seemed, he hadn’t been able to bear the thought of going back to their former apartment and clearing out his possessions. Something ugly and unpleasantly hot had bubbled in the back of his throat so he revved his engine harder and let the roar fill his ears. 

Halfway down a highway he didn’t quite recognize, Eddie suddenly realized he had completely left the state of California. It was so jarring that he had to abruptly pull off the side of the road, switching his bike off and tearing his helmet frantically off his head. 

Scrambling off his seat and onto his knees, Eddie took deep gulps of air as the silence started to press painfully against his eardrums. He got back to his feet with a noticeable tremor running through his limbs, but he got back onto his motorcycle and pulled back onto the road. 

It took nearly a half hour but he soon came across some signs telling him he was in northwest Nevada and heading further north. He nearly pulled off again to turn back, but Eddie recalled an old memory of a family vacation passing through Nevada and into Oregon. 

Despite constantly trying to forget most memories of his family, Eddie’s sudden recollection set something aflame in his skull and he was quickly following the freeway leading him closer to familiar land. 

It had been years ago, but now his mind was flooded with sunny afternoons cooped up in an old family car with his father grumbling at the wheel as his mother played her “girly shit”. Something ached deep in his chest, but Eddie knew that he couldn’t shake the idea that’d taken root in his head.

Eddie had grandparents in Oregon he’d used to visit for Christmas. They had an old cabin they owned in a sleepy town with a population in the double digits. It was crazy that they even found any real estate out there for them, but they did and the cabin became a vacation home for their little family. 

He could remember thinking that there had been nothing to do there besides wander the empty streets and making increasingly stranger snowmen in the backyard. With the whole town being covered in a couple inches of snow, Eddie’s parents had barred them from exploring the woods. It didn’t help that there’d been stories and legends spread through the town about crazy bear attacks and people going missing when they ventured too far into the thick wood past the abandoned water mill. 

Now with a new purpose to his journey, Eddie continued to drive through the night until the wee hours of the morning when he came across a pit stop. He was lucky there was a motel and he could get a room for the night with only the cash he had on hand. 

Arriving in the little town was like stepping into the past. Eddie was filled with nostalgia for golden tinted memories of his childhood before it got fucked up. The only restaurant, a little mom and pop dinner, still stood with it’s blinking neon sign and peeling blue paint. The old fashioned town hall still had the bell he’d only ever heard chime at noon every day, the metal dull and splattered with traces of bird poop. 

Strangely enough, seeing how seemingly nothing had changed, caused a lump in his throat. Rolling up to the dinner, Eddie cut the engine and stepped down with a heavy gait, sore from the hours of nonstop travel. 

Inside, there were only four people occupying the small space. Two men in grubby clothes nursing mugs of coffee and two waitresses in soft pastel pink uniforms. 

Eddie immediately recognized one of the women’s faces despite the obvious signs of age changing her appearance. She used to sneak those old fashioned caramels into his hands when his parents hadn’t been looking while pressing a finger to her lips, fake nails gleaming.

“What’ll it be?” Laura asked, a friendly smile spreading across her face and exposing crows eyes along the corners of her eyes.

“Do you still have blueberry pancakes and chocolate milk?” Her eyes lit up and an almost astonished gasp left her lips.

“Eddie Brock, is that really you?” She exclaimed, leaning forwards across the dinner bar. Something soft unfurled in his stomach and a bit of tension leaked from his posture. They both knew how each time Eddie’s family made the trip to Oregon, he had eaten the same meal for breakfast every day they went to the diner. Laura owned it with her late husband and worked full time there so she had started making it in advance whenever she knew they were visiting.

“Hey, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” She laughed, catching the attention of the second waitress and a side eye from the two other patrons there. 

“It’s been forever! You take a seat wherever and I’ll bring you those pancakes right away. On the house.” Before he could protest too much, she had already disappeared into the kitchen and Eddie was left to sit in a booth with slightly sagging seats. 

It was comforting to close his eyes and listen to the soft noises in the building, pretending that this was another trip and not a desperate escape from his crumbling life. 

It wasn’t long before Laura returned to set a steaming plate in front of him with a glass of chocolate milk. He had mostly been joking, but the brightly colored bendy straw she had added sent a shocked laugh through him. He had always demanded one as a kid, stubbornly complaining the drink tasted different without. 

“I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything else, don’t be afraid to ask.” Nodding mutely, Eddie picked up his utensils. 

Once he’d finished up, he said his farewells and stepped out into the cloudy sunlight. He’d only ever visited in December when snow began to fall, so it was strange seeing the town soggy and dark. 

Driving along the familiar dirt road into the trees nearly had Eddie backing out. It had been years since he’d been there, there was no telling what state the place would be in since he had no clue if it was still in use after his grandpa’s passing. Maybe it’d been sold or rented out? Maybe it was demolished or left to rot. 

When he pulled into the front yard, he let out a sigh. The cabin looked nearly identical to how he remembered, the only difference being the lack of snow and dark windows. 

The quiet after he shut his bike off was nearly all-encompassing. The only thing keeping it from being too much was the gentle whisper of wind and distant sound of birds. 

The front door was locked and so were all the windows. Circling around the back, Eddie found the old cellar doors and hesitated just a moment before hauling them open. They moaned and complained loudly, but they thankfully weren’t locked. It was dark and smelled slightly of mildew, but Eddie hopped down and landed on the cobblestone below. 

Blinking feeling around, he eventually located the old fashioned gas lanterns mounted on the walls. The cellar was the oldest part of the place and hadn’t been remodeled since it’d been built decades ago. 

Quickly making his way to the actual cabin, Eddie hauled himself into the little water closet that also doubled as a tiny laundry room. The whole place was pretty tiny despite housing him, his parents, and both his grandparents for a week or so. He used to sleep between his mom and dad on the only guest bed until he’d gotten older and started crashing on the couch in the living room with a thick quilt his grandmother had made. 

Now, much of the life had been leached from the old cabin. No fire burned warmly in the fireplace and all the lights were off, the murky light streaming from the windows reminded Eddie of a horror movie set. With a shiver running up his spine, he went about turning on lights and wandering through the rooms like a ghost. He kicked up dust wherever he went and the strong stench of mold followed him through the house.

Much of the furniture had remained untouched since the last time Eddie had been there, like the grandfather clock sitting in the main room that had long since stopped ticking, and the large queen bed with that ugly floral print his father had often laughed at. 

Eddie was unsure of what to do with himself. He had run impulsively from San Francisco without a single thought besides the need to  _ get out _ . He felt rather silly now, standing inside a skeleton of his past. What was he doing? Sitting down heavily at the kitchen table, Eddie resting his face in his palms. He had to go back, move his things from Anne’s apartment and find a new place. A new job. A new life.

Just thinking about it caused his gut to jolt anxiously and a wave of guilt and grief to wash over him. Once again, Eddie Brock had spectacularly fucked everything up.

Night steady fell across the small town, all the windows pitch black and the lights inside a warm orange. Deciding a night in the shack was better than driving back to California right then, Eddie gathered the sheets off the guest bed and beat them out an open window until they felt clean enough to sleep on. 

Shedding his jacket and jeans, he curled beneath the heavy comforter and shut his eyes against the cold reality that awaited him in the morning. 


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie didn’t leave the next morning, or the morning after that. Instead, he drove back into town and ate at Laura’s diner and wandered through the old shops that used to host tourists when the town had been alive. He avoided any questions on why he suddenly visited and where he was staying. Eddie wasn’t sure if his grandparents still opened the place and didn’t want anyone digging into it in case he got kicked out.

He was once again avoiding his problems, distracting himself from the future he had ahead by burying himself in the past he’d nearly forgotten. He walked through the town square and sat beneath the tall tree in the center, watching clouds drift in front of the sun. Many of the locals were vaguely suspicious of him and Eddie couldn’t quite blame them. A few he recognized and in turn got a few happy greetings when he introduced himself. Some he didn’t know but seemed to know his name, stating they knew his grandparents well. 

It was surreal, a feeling of disconnect followed Eddie throughout his days. Like he was in a dream and the whole town was simply in his imagination. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.

“What am I doing here?” He muttered bitterly, glaring blearily at his reflection in the mirror. An old fashioned razor sat on the sink by a crusted bar of soap. The blade sang a sweet song to Eddie’s mind, his fingers nearly closing around the handle before he got a hold of himself. He wasn’t going to let himself spiral further than he already had, not here.

Donning his leather jacket and the same jeans he had worn since his arrival, that were frankly starting to smell, Eddie made his commute from the woods and down cracked streets. 

Skipping breakfast at the diner, Eddie drove across town and towards the abandoned water mill that stood tall and earilly still against the white sky.

It was another part of the town that hadn’t been touched since it was built, a relic that was once a small tourist attraction. The small building looked like one strong breeze could knock it down and the mill itself was so old and molded it looked black. The whole place seemed rather melancholy and Eddie couldn’t blame people for not visiting any longer.

Walking across the stone bridge, Eddie glanced down at the small stream that’d once turned the mill but now simply bubbled past with a soft gurgle. Stopping in front of the wooden door, Eddie studied it for a short moment before sighing again.

There was nothing out here either, no reason to stay nor anything to keep him from turning back to San Francisco and facing the music. He didn’t know why he was even looking, not when he knew there was nothing.

A numbing despair settled heavily in his chest and nearly drove the air from his lungs. Eddie laid down on his back in the grass, staring up with unseeing eyes. Staying there for who knows how long, Eddie simply drifted through muddle thoughts that ranged from random mundane thoughts he didn’t dwell on and other darker ones whispering seductively in his ear. It had been a long time since Eddie had come face to face with those darker things lurking in the back of his mind. With Anne, he had been able to work through a lot of his chronic depression through keeping himself busy and his meds. 

Now, he had no big story to cover nor any medication to help him. Alone with his thoughts, for hours, in the middle of nowhere. 

Not very promising. 

Sitting up, Eddie cast his gaze past the old mill and stared into the tall oaks standing against the skyline. Everyone who came here knew the stories about these woods. More often than not, people that went in didn’t come out. People claimed bears or other wildlife and others speculated over the supernatural. 

Eddie had never been allowed anywhere near them, one of his parents always kept a sharp eye on him when he was outside playing to keep him from wandering where he shouldn’t. 

Staring into the distance, there was a forbidding feeling hanging heavy over the trees and Eddie shivered involuntarily. The local kids he’d once tried to befriend often had discussed spending the night in the forest on a dare or egging each other on to step closer and closer in the dark cover of the trees.

Eddie laid awake that night, tossing and turning for hours as he listened to the wind groan and murmur until he swore he could hear actual voices outside the cabin. Once or twice he considered getting up and peering out the windows to see if there was anything lurking in the night, but he shook off those thoughts and rolled over with a pillow pressed firmly over his head.

His dreams were filled with trees closing in around him, dirt and leaves clinging to his bare feet, as he ran across the forest floor while  _ something _ chased him with a deep laugh that seemed to shake the ground beneath him. Eddie woke before whatever it was could catch him, drenched in a cold sweat and panting like he had actually been running.

Eddie spent three more days in a town he didn’t even know the name of. He could tell it puzzled Laura and few others that saw him coming and going, but he couldn’t bring himself to present any sort of explanation. For now, he was content to live through this detached reality. 

Despite his best efforts to stop his downward spiral, one night he spent the last of his pocket change on beer and had tried to drink himself into a coma to chase away the memories haunting him of the screaming face of his father that morphed into the angry tears on Anne’s face. 

When he woke, he had painful reminders of how far he’d fallen written into the flesh of his thighs and a pounding hangover. Eddie couldn’t even muster up the strength to be disgusted with himself. 

It was raining when he stepped outside. His jacket didn’t have a hood and he was quickly soaked through, plastering his bangs to his forehead. He walked the whole way to Laura’s diner, the rain coming down harder around him, and he stood outside the door for a solid five minutes before turning and trudging off.

Without realizing it, Eddie had found his way back to the abandoned water mill to stand in the wet grass staring off into the distant trees. The ideas and thoughts that had been quietly bubbling at the back of his head were suddenly boiling over into his mind until he nearly fell to his knees with them. 

Without a second thought, Eddie began to stumble towards the forest. The indistinguishable whispers seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, a low groan barely heard over the rain. It sent chills down Eddie’s spine but he wasn’t deterred.

Low hanging branches scraped at his palms as he pushed them away and roots often tried to trip him up, but Eddie merely stumbled and kept going. Once again, he was running without a plan. 

There was no indication of how much time had passed because the trees only grew thicker and tighter packed the further he went, the canopy eventually obscuring the sky completely until even the rain had stopped. Eddie could still hear it but it was far away and muffled. Besides that, it was deathly silent and nearly too dark to see. His eyes adjusted until he could see a few feet ahead as trees appeared and disappeared in the gloom around him. 

The wind no longer spoke to Eddie, the silence clinging to his whole body. He nearly turned and fled back the way he came, but the idea of leaving after he’d already committed to the stupid idea felt more cowardly than the idea in the first place.

Breathing heavily, Eddie decided there was better than anywhere else. The stories were often told that anyone that ventured too deep got snatched up and never seen again, but Eddie was sure he’d gone in farther than anyone had in a long time and he was mostly unscathed. 

Sighing, he slowly slid his beloved jacket off and spied a nearby branch that seemed sturdy enough for the job. With numb fingers, Eddie began to twist and knot the jacket into a makeshift noose. He used the little knowledge he had from Boy Scout to know that the thing was pretty shit. He couldn’t even end his own life without screwing up, huh?

There was the sound of something slithering across leaves, Eddie turning with a startled sound. It echoed softly through the quiet, making the hair stand up on end. He suddenly felt like dozens of eyes had turned to stare at him.

Heart pounding in his ears, Eddie stood frozen for a long second. He strained his ears for any other sounds, but he couldn’t even hear the rain anymore. He licked chapped lips and decided that he should probably either grow a pair and do it or chicken out once and for all. 

Still feeling like he was being watched, Eddie tossed the jacket across the branch and began tying it into place. He gave it a few sharp tugs to make sure it was secure and it came loose. Groaning, he scooped it up and stared down at the offending garment with frustration burning in his gut.

The slithering sound returned, closer than before and Eddie whirled around. A few yard away, staring at him with shining eyes was the weirdest fucking bear he’d ever seen. Fear shot through his veins and he stumbled back, scrambling until his back was pressed against the tree he’d been trying to hang himself off. A low, deep growl rumbled in the beast’s chest as it took a step towards Eddie. It’s claws were unnaturally long and wicked sharp, fur peeking out from bulging muscles on sleek black skin. Teeth peeked out from it’s jaw in a massive, scary overbite that dripped opaque drool. It honestly looked like a failed science experiment from some cheesy sci-fi movie. 

He’d heard that playing dead was the best option to avoid a bear mauling but with the way it’s large gleaming eyes were staring him down Eddie was positive this thing wouldn’t be fooled. 

Letting out a snarl, the thing took another threatening step forwards and Eddie realized it was just aggressive, but it was warning him off. He must have stepped into its territory, so he began to slowly stand without making any sudden moves. Eddie slowly began edging sideways, giving the beast a wide berth. The thing swung it’s head towards the jacket Eddie had dropped in his fear, the sleeve still tied in a shitty handmade noose.

Huffing almost curiously, the thing stopped making threatening noises and lumbered closer towards Eddie. His whole body locked up as the thing drew closer, air stuttering out of his lungs. The bear was taller than Eddie by about a foot just on it’s paws, he couldn’t imagine just how much it’d tower over him if it had stood on its hind legs.

His heart was beating like crazy and he broke into a cold sweat as he saw that the bear’s eyes hadn’t been shining oddly, but instead were a pupil-less milky white that reflected the low light. 

“What the hell are you?” He breathed, barely able to contain the shaking of his limbs. The bear was now close enough that Eddie could reach out and touch it if he wanted to. 

A low sound rumbled from it’s muzzle, but it didn’t sound angry. It reminded Eddie of the groaning he’d heard before. 

The thing sniffed his face once, so close Eddie could count each of it’s razor sharp teeth sticking out from its lip. It smelled of blood, rotting meat, and something earthy. It smelled like death. 

Before he could further breakdown, a cold nose pressed against his cheek and he flinched back fractionally. Undeterred, it pressed close and once again it snuffled softly as it’s nose made contact with his skin. Then, it sneezed and sat back on its haunches with a slow lick of its snout. The tong was long and pointed, nothing like any bear he’d seen before. 

They stared at each other for a moment, the thing didn’t even blink, before it got back to its feet and turned its back on Eddie. Heavy paws landed on the ground, the gentle vibration nearly collapsing Eddie’s weak knees. 

It strode away a few steps before turning and staring intently. Swallowing, Eddie took a step backwards and it growled fiercely. Barely breathing, Eddie took a slow step forward and it immediately stopped. 

“You...want me to follow?” He asked, voice rough. He received no answer except for the thing to begin walking further into the gloom. “Fuck it.” Eddie muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’ve never posted a multichapter fic all at once before sorry if people are getting multiple notifications lol


	3. Chapter 3

The thing didn’t look back again to confirm Eddie was following, but somehow he knew it didn’t need to. It took measured steps, easily avoiding any branches and roots with practiced ease. Eddie struggled slightly to get through a few sticker bushes and over muddy puddles but he never lost sight of the bear.

The only sounds were the steady rhythm of the beast’s footfalls and Eddie’s heavy breathing. 

Unsure of how long he’d been walking, Eddie figured it must have been maybe thirty minutes before they came across a huge tree with a trunk that stretched so far above he couldn’t see the top and roots the larger than one of Eddie’s legs. 

The bear came to stop once, Eddie freezing on the spot, before it leaned down to a hole in the roots and disappeared into a tunnel. 

Eddie peered down the large hole with no small amount of reluctance, suddenly thinking of Alice in Wonderland leaning into the rabbit-hole and falling into Wonderland. 

Steeling himself, Eddie stepped over a root framing the hole and set his foot down on the soft earth inside. Air gently flowed from inside, smelling faintly of moss and something sweeter. Taking one final look back, Eddie ducked inside.

It was pitchblack and he went on his hands and knees to slowly shuffle his way through. All he could imagine was the ground abruptly opening beneath him and falling headfirst in. It was impossible to see a few inches in front of him and he was starting to feel rather claustrophobic when he spied a gentle light up ahead.

He could hear the sound of wind blowing through leaves and running water ahead. Eddie picked up the pace, shuffling faster to escape the walls pressing in around him. 

The tunnel curved upwards slightly until he could see trees above and the sky peeking out between leaves. Night had fallen, dark clouds covering the stars, and Eddie almost paused in surprise. Hauling himself up and out, Eddie collapsed on cool grass with a soft sigh. As he caught his breath, he looked up to see that he was in some kind of meadow.

It was closed in on all sides by a plateau of dirt with roots of massive trees creeping over the edges, effectively cutting off all escape. A ring of sky was exposed where no trees grew in the clearing, clouds keeping any moonlight from really shining down. A small waterfall flowed over the dirt wall across the meadow and a tiny creek bubbled towards the center where it emptied into a pond.

Eddie slowly stepped closer, the grass gently brushing against his shins. Wildflowers grew sporadically around and fireflies fluttered in the air, gently lighting the surroundings. It was almost painfully beautiful, making Eddie feel entirely out of place.

A deer padded quietly around the pond, bowing its head with grace to lap at the water. It raised its head and stared Eddie directly in the eyes before padding away. 

“Shit…” He muttered, wiping a hand down his face. Where had he landed himself this time? 

Venturing into a maybe haunted forest to end his life hadn’t been the smartest choice, but here he was in a place straight out of a fairytale. Something sweet and heady filled the air and a bed of moss surrounding the pond looked almost appealing to lie down in to sleep.

Almost like he was in a trance, Eddie stumbled forwards and kneeled besides the clear waters below. They reflected his rumpled appearance back at him. He looked away, instead placing a hand over the squishy moss to test how comfortable it was. 

Softer than expected, he settled on his side and closed his eyes. It was probably another stupid decision but something about this place was soothing and the call to sleep was nearly impossible to ignore.

Beneath his eyelids he saw visions of falling to the earth, flaming earth where he touched and miles of trees surrounding him everywhere he went. A huge grizzly bear seemed to appear wherever he went and sometimes the murmuring voices rose to a roar.

Waking with a gasp, Eddie blinked blearily as he struggled to recall where he was. He sat up with a stretch and his back cracked with a satisfying sound.

Nothing much had changed besides the gentle sunlight painting the flowers in vibrant shades and the waterfall sparkling like crystal. It truly was breathtaking, Eddie couldn‘t believe he‘d been allowed to find this place. Something told him that he would have been dead long ago if the forest had wished it.

He got to his feet and turned to see that the hole he’d arrive through was gone, replaced by smooth dirt without a trace there’d been a path there at all. Groaning, Eddie should have known more crazy shit would happen. 

There was a soft sound beside him and he turned to come face to face with a bear. Stumbling back, Eddie was shocked to see not the mutated monster he’d met the day before but a normal brown bear peering at him with watery brown eyes.

It was still pretty huge for a bear, but nothing compared to the other beast. There wasn’t an ounce of aggression in its body language and stupidly Eddie extended his hand for the thing to sniff like it was a dog. It snuffed the extended limb and a rough tongue peeked out to lap at his fingers, the texture similar to a dog but rougher. He let out a hysteric laugh as he pat its head, its eyes closing with a content groan.

“You’ve finally lost it.” Eddie muttered, feeling like crying. 

**Eddie** .

“Fuck!” Eddie cursed. The voice hadn’t been louder than a breath, deep like a lullaby, but he’d been startled to hear his name spoken.

**Eddie** .

“You’ve definitely lost it.” He whispered, clutching his head. 

**Come closer, Eddie.**

The voice was coming from the pond, seemingly echoing from deep below while still being right in Eddie’s ears. Approaching it with hesitant steps, Eddie peered over the edge and into the body of water.

Something jet black and long like a tentacle was reaching up from the bottom. 

Eddie screamed, falling on his ass as the thing breached the surface. The bear had taken a few steps back, but not out of fear or alarm. It simply watched.

The tentacle, Eddie could now see was a large mass of seaweed, slowly pulsed like a large heartbeat thrummed through its entire being. The thing extended towards Eddie, who hadn‘t moved from shock, the plant unnaturally dark and slimy looking. 

**Do not be afraid. Will not harm Eddie.**

Another hysteric laugh nearly escaped his lips, but he swallowed it back as he watched with wide eyes. The seaweed vine slithered across the ground as if it would be less threatening while still extending towards the sprawled man. 

“W-what are you?” Eddie asked. The thing paused, as if thinking.

**We were once called Venom.**

“Venom…” He muttered. The vine shuddered once and began its slow creep towards Eddie’s legs. Before he could kick it away, it wrapped tightly around his ankle and began tugging him closer. “Hey! Wait, cut it out!” He dug his fingers into the dirt and kicked at  _ Venom _ but it was useless. 

**Eddie** . It rumbled again. 

For a moment, he thought he would be pulled into it’s pond and dragged to the bottom where he’d either drown or be eaten by whatever Venom was. Instead, it pulled him to the edge and began winding further up Eddie’s pant leg. Another plant tentacle rose from the waters and slid up to wrap itself around his waist.

Panic choked Eddie as he frantically gripped at them, fingernails skidding over the slick surface, and he opened his mouth to scream again when his sight whited out.

Suddenly Eddie wasn’t himself and instead was gazing at his pale face with black and white vision. He was much taller than he was used to and a dozen or so swift shots of different woodland passed before his eyes made him dizzy before he was once again staring this other Eddie down.

He was growling  **Leave** and stepping closer when he tasted  _ fear, panic, loneliness,  _ that Eddie knew all too well. 

Now, this other Eddie wasn’t standing in black and white and instead a mess of colors ranging from deep blues to crimson. Memories that did not belong to him flickered forwards, of more nameless humans stumbling into its territory where they died swift deaths at its hand. 

It had not seen another human like Eddie before, never seen one try to enter its forest to end its own existence. The protectiveness of its home trickled away into something else, like curiosity and intrigue. 

**Eddie’s mind is different from other humans. Eddie is different.**

Mind spinning, Eddie was back at the meadow with Venom still holding him tightly in place. 

Venom’s voice was low and pressed in on all of Eddie’s senses, making goosebumps erupt up and down his arms. 

“So you...brought me here?” He ventured, reeling with confusion and the overwhelming feeling of jumping into a mind far vaster than his own.

**Yes...** it hissed.  **Keep Eddie here.**

“Keep?” He suppressed another shiver. “You can’t do that!” Venom made a small curious noise.

**Eddie has no life out there, no family. Eddie can stay here, Eddie will not be alone.**

And that hurt like a bitch to hear. It was true though, they both knew it. Eddie had no family, no job, and nowhere to go. 

“Why do you want me here? Don’t you have like, an entire forest?” He yanked futilely at the vines, but they were unyielding. 

**The minds surrounding us are not compatible. You, Eddie, could bond with us. We do not know why, but Eddie is different.**

It wasn’t exactly a reasuring thing to hear someone say when you already thought you were a major fuck up. Of course Eddie was different, he ruined everything he touched.

“I don’t want this! I don’t want…” He began struggling anew, ripping and clawing at the alien holding him. 

**We do not understand.** Venom’s voice seemed to raise slightly in what could have been frustration.  **Eddie tried to die, yet you wish to leave?**

He blinked back tears, feeling like the world was spinning out of control. Hours ago he’d been regressing and drinking and wanted to end it all, now this thing- _ Venom _ -wanted him to abandon his life forever. 

**Yes,** Venom agreed.  **Forever. Never lonely again. Together.**

Eddie really must be crazy if that was starting to sound like an okay deal. 

“Wait, wait. Give me a moment. Stop,  _ stop, _ get off.” Venom had begun spreading exploratority over his skin ahead, creeping higher under his clothes. 

With a low grumbling, Venom retreated and extracted itself completely from Eddie’s form. He rolled over and panted into the grass, shivering lightly.

Venom was right, to a degree. Eddie  _ did _ have nothing for him out there, no one to come home to. That feeling of being wrapped up had freaked him out but now he was cold and almost reached out towards where Venom’s tentacles were waiting silently. He had felt him but more than just on his skin, he’d been  _ in _ Eddie’s head. It should have felt violating and wrong to have something else poking around in there, but it was like his mind was simply accepting the thing’s presence. 

“If I did stay…” Eddie began, not looking at it. “What would happen?” 

**We would be together.** Came the simple answer.

“Like, you’d be in my head like before?” He asked. 

**Yes. We’d have perfect symbiosis.**

Eddie had no clue what the hell that meant but he did know that he was seriously considering Venom’s offer. Slowly, he extended his hand towards the vines and they seemed to shiver in excitement before pressing into Eddie’s hand. Like some kind of pet, it rubbed eagerly into his fingers and Eddie nearly started petting it until he realized it might be ridiculous to pet the thousand year old forest entity. 

**Will Eddie stay?** It asked, a hint of pleading in the tone. 

“Is this what you look like?” Eddie dodged, gently pinching the surprisingly squishy tentacle. 

**We will show Eddie.**

“Show me? What do you-hey!” Venom gripped his wrist and hips, raising Eddie into the air and into the pond.

Eddie squeezed his eyes closed against the cool water he was enveloped in, getting dragged further towards the bottom. The pressure nearly sent him into a claustrophobic panic attack, but it suddenly was gone and Eddie peeked his eyes open. 

He was still floating in water but it was in a small cave that didn’t seem possible to exist under the small pond. Breathing deeply, Eddie squinted hard to see if there was anything else there in the strange place. 

**This was us when we came here.**

The voice surrounded him from all sides, the water gently vibrating with it. Eddie turned, trying and failing to find a source. 

**We are unlike humans with one form to keep us static and unchanging, we shrink and grow and twist as we please. Here, Eddie can see what we looked like before coming to Earth.**

Something brushed past his leg and he flinched back, watching a dark mass slowly surface beside him. It was like a blob of slime, slightly glistening and misshapen. It pulsed softly, sending soft ripples across the water. 

Hesitantly, he brushed his fingers across it. A humming seemed to fill the cavern. Venom moved closer, a tendril extended in an almost exploratory manor. Eddie allowed it to wrap around his wrist without protest, treading water with just one arm. Seemingly embolden, Venom raised itself slightly out of the water, revealing a long tentacle keeping it connected to some larger system. 

**When we came here, we could find no hosts. No true symbiosis. So we found that pond and buried ourself deep beneath its waters and connected to the growing plant life. Eventually, our forest spread oto what it is today.**

Water gently dripped off it’s slightly gelatinous form, another tendril wrapping itself around Eddie’s fingers. To his surprise, it shuddered and morphed until a face was meeting his gaze. Bald head with large, white eyes that seemed to almost glow. Glistening teeth were bared in a frightening smile, exactly that of the bear Eddie had encountered. 

“ **Eddie.”** Venom’s voice was right there, some how more intimate than when he’d spoken directly into Eddie’s mind. “ **Stay with us, Eddie. Say you will be mine.** ” 

“I…” Eddie trailed off, biting at his lower lip. Staring directly at Venom, Eddie could picture it. Despite being slightly invasive, Venom had only handled Eddie with care and there was no doubt Eddie would be safe and cared for in Venom’s forest. “Would you kill more people?”

“ **We protect our own.** ” Eddie nodded slowly. 

“Yes…” He said firmly. “I‘ll stay with you.” 

A happy humm echoed around them and Eddie was suddenly enveloped in many tentacles, much larger than the ones before, all of them squeezing and holding gently. Surprised, Eddie simply clung to the part of Venom still around his wrist. 

They resurfaced in the meadow, a slight chill sending shivers across Eddie’s skin. Immediately Venom warmed its skin to a sufficient temperature and Eddie felt rather cozy as he was laid back against the moss. 

More of the black mass emerged from the water, afternoon sun spilling across the clearing and making the sweet scent in the air stronger. Venom’s monstrous head towered over Eddie’s prone figure, a sound akin to purring rumbling from deep within. 

“ **Eddie** .” It wasn’t a question, Venom seemed to just like saying his name. Eddie made a sound in response anyways. “ **Together, safe and sound forever.** ”

“Yeah,” Eddie replied, fingers softly cradling the entitie’s face as it leaned in close. “Forever. I promise.” 

And he meant it. 

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you thought :)


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